Anyone else sick of touchscreens?? Advice on a new phone please!

trio

Hello,

I have gotten heartily sick of my Nokia 5230. Specifically the touchscreen, which is quite hard to use. Thank God I have nails.

Also, it has a slider keylock on the side which is very easy to slide on when in a handbag or pocket. Yesterday I sent 15 blank texts to someone because it was in my bag and the slider er....slid.

AND it's a total headache to navigate through the menu - not as basic and user friendly as other Nokia's I've had.

So yeah - I want to get rid.

I'm a poor penniless student so money is a major factor. I just can't afford to pay 100 euro for a phone when this one is working fine.

I'm PAYG, which you'd expect.

I don't care much about camera quality but I'd like to at least have one - and I use the Internet on my phone quite a bit, so that's important.

But beyond that I just want it to have actual tangible BUTTONS!

Is it hopeless to want a decent browser on your phone for that money? If so, just tell me - I'll bite my dislike of this phone down and just keep going with it for another year.

wnolan1992

trio wrote: »

Hello,

I have gotten heartily sick of my Nokia 5230. Specifically the touchscreen, which is quite hard to use. Thank God I have nails.

Also, it has a slider keylock on the side which is very easy to slide on when in a handbag or pocket. Yesterday I sent 15 blank texts to someone because it was in my bag and the slider er....slid.

AND it's a total headache to navigate through the menu - not as basic and user friendly as other Nokia's I've had.

So yeah - I want to get rid.

I'm a poor penniless student so money is a major factor. I just can't afford to pay 100 euro for a phone when this one is working fine.

I'm PAYG, which you'd expect.

I don't care much about camera quality but I'd like to at least have one - and I use the Internet on my phone quite a bit, so that's important.

But beyond that I just want it to have actual tangible BUTTONS!

Is it hopeless to want a decent browser on your phone for that money? If so, just tell me - I'll bite my dislike of this phone down and just keep going with it for another year.

What network are you on? If you're not on Voda, then I'm pretty sure if you switch they'll give you a free phone. One of my friends got it a while back and loves it. It's a very basic phone though...a Nokia something...

wnolan1992

Also,

There's a lot to be said for the Nokia 6300 from a while back. I loved it. Still have it as my back up phone. Great for using the internet as well(didn't read that in your original post) and has a 2MP Camera. SD card slot as well if you take a lot of photos.

trio

I'm on Vodafone, but I've no loyalty as long as I could keep my prefix.

The 6300 - my friend owns it and complains about the buttons being too weeny. Do you find that?

wnolan1992

trio wrote: »

I'm on Vodafone, but I've no loyalty as long as I could keep my prefix.

The 6300 - my friend owns it and complains about the buttons being too weeny. Do you find that?

I haven't used it in a while(i moved to touchscreen as well )
I didn't like the direction buttons that much, but other than that never had a problem with it.
One major problem I had with it though was the USB cover. It broke within about 3 months when I got it, and then moisture got in and killed the phone. I got another 6300, and it broke again, so I had to cover the hole with sellotape. :P
It's a great phone though imho. The speaker is a bit ****e if your listening to music on it.

trio

LOL! Well it's definately on my list anyway!

But are there any other models I could check out?

wnolan1992

trio wrote: »

LOL! Well it's definately on my list anyway!

But are there any other models I could check out?

You're best bet for cheap reliable phones is nokia imo. sony erikksons have a habit of giving trouble with with those joysticks they have for navigation. There are loads of good models, check out the O2/Voda/Meteor shop sites, theres an upgrded version of the 6300...the 6330 i think.

xtal191

Think this is the follow up to the 6300.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003OB38NS/ref=s9_simh_gw_p23_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1RXKFSHZ9HJW8JPNJGSW&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294

Kxiii

Don't give up on touch screens just yet. Just give up on the 5230, the touch screen on them is brutal and it uses with software that's not designed properly for a touch phone.

Have a look at the HTC Wildfire s its miles ahead of nokias in the same price range.

Bluefoam

Those cheap nokias have resistive touchscreens which are ****e & don't work like those on modern phones.

BTW the wildfire has the same cheap type of touch screen... pick up a cheap HTC desire or legend & they will change your perception of touch screens...

richard2010

Hi OP,

I bought the nokia C2-01 recently from o2 as I had a Nokia 6300 but hated the small buttons. The C2-01 has decent sized buttons and is great for texting plus its simple to use!

Linky for one on vodafone=> http://www.vodafone.ie/df/shop/ProductDetails.shtml?handsetselected=541045&offerSelected=prepayupgrade&action=view [€69.99]

Hope that helps!
Richard

srsly78

Nokia make awful touchscreen devices, you shouldn't avoid touchscreens just because of Nokia. Try a modern iphone/android phone and you will find it much easier to use.

wnolan1992

srsly78 wrote: »

Nokia make awful touchscreen devices, you shouldn't avoid touchscreens just because of Nokia. Try a modern iphone/android phone and you will find it much easier to use.

Yes but price seems to be an issue for the OP. As such, I 'd say most good androids would be above 100e. And the iphone...well, no need for me to say.

If price wasn't an issue then i'd suggest a samsung galaxy, I've the Spica version and love it.
But Nokia do make some of the best non-touchscreen phones imo. So easy to use, and reliable and durable for the most part.(i've seen them flung against a wall numerous times and still come back for more. :P )

srsly78

There are lots of cheap options. Could get an older iphone, or something like htc wildfire or zet blade.

shadowninty

OP don't judge all touch screen phones by a bad example
The 5230 runs the legacy S60V5.0 OS which was not designed for touch screen use
It also has a resistive screen, which is crud compared to the capacitive screen of any decent Android or iPhone

lucernarian

Ok, if someone didn't want a touchscreen phone no matter how much you tried to persuade them otherwise, what phones are still good?

I saw a post there about Sony ericssons, they haven't used that pivoting joypad "button" in something like 5 years... Though hew sony ericssons are missing out on some useful design features and don't seem as responsive as the older models I've used.

Skerries

what about that San Francisco mobile phone, are they easy to get here?

mattjack

was given a nokia e5 for christmas..last few phones were touchscreen...it seems ok and its camera is 5mp..technical info..? dont ask me..took a bit to get used too..qwerty key pad too.

shadowninty

Skerries wrote: »

what about that San Francisco mobile phone, are they easy to get here?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2056248768

yoshytoshy

I quite like the sony erricson cedar ,you should try one out if possible. nice tidy little phone

trio

Hi OP,

I bought the nokia C2-01 recently from o2 as I had a Nokia 6300 but hated the small buttons. The C2-01 has decent sized buttons and is great for texting plus its simple to use!

Linky for one on vodafone=> http://www.vodafone.ie/df/shop/Produ...de&action=view [€69.99]

Hope that helps!
Richard

That might be near the mark - it's 3G, which is handy. I hate the hassle of connecting to WiFi hotspots.

How's the browser on it, Richard? Do you use it for online much?

Daegerty

Never liked touch screens at all really.

Just like the 'flip phone' fad of 2005-2007. Just looked on and thought 'wtf are people wanting those phones for?'

richard2010

trio wrote: »

That might be near the mark - it's 3G, which is handy. I hate the hassle of connecting to WiFi hotspots.

How's the browser on it, Richard? Do you use it for online much?

Trio,

I honestly havent used the browser at all. The reviews seem to say its ok but the screen is small so seeing websites might be an issue. I dont use for online use, more of a texter caller meself.

Linky for review: http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_c2_01-review-579p6.php [Scroll towards the end for the section about the browser]

Hope it helps in your decision.

Richard

shadowninty

Trio just going to say this again - your first post was all about the 5230 - any decent smartphone is touchscreen now, and are much much better with regards to touch use
Just try em out with an open mind

Venom

OP before you pass judgement on touchscreen phones make sure you are at least trying a decent capacitive screen and not some old resistive screen piece of crap

Daegerty

Venom wrote: »

OP before you pass judgement on touchscreen phones make sure you are at least trying a decent capacitive screen and not some old resistive screen piece of crap

Tried that still hated it.

It almost feels like the touch screen phones are being foisted upon us. At least we can be sure there will always be some chinese company making decent button phones

Bluefoam

There are plenty of cheap push button phones available. But if you want a fully functioning smartphone, you will need a touch screen to make use of the functionality.

But let me guess. You want a fully functioning smartphone, with a fully functioning keyboard, but you want it for as little as possible?

When I suggest you look at a HTC Desire Z, you will find more faults.

TBH just go out and buy a base model Nokia if thats the type of phone you are after. HTC have a few proper smartphones with keyboards, such as the new Facebook phones, but I'm sure there will be something that you don't like about them.

BTW, there are many advantages to the manufacturers for touch screens - they require less physical components so are cheaper to produce (ish) and development time is reduced - quality is easier to guarantee & there are less returns and less damage to phones. From a development point of view it also makes things easier particularly when using an operating system like android due to the development process. If people didn't want touch screen phones, the phone companies wouldn't be able to sell them. The rest of the world don't accept **** they don't want the way the Irish do - and the market dictates what is available, therefore it is reasonable to suspect that many people do want touch screen smartphones.

I understand you want a very specific phone with very specific function and at a very reasonable price point - but if not many others want (and are willing to pay for) the same thing, then it becomes unviable to produce it just for you...

mattjack

Bluefoam wrote: »

There are plenty of cheap push button phones available. But if you want a fully functioning smartphone, you will need a touch screen to make use of the functionality.

But let me guess. You want a fully functioning smartphone, with a fully functioning keyboard, but you want it for as little as possible?

When I suggest you look at a HTC Desire Z, you will find more faults.

TBH just go out and buy a base model Nokia if thats the type of phone you are after. HTC have a few proper smartphones with keyboards, such as the new Facebook phones, but I'm sure there will be something that you don't like about them.

BTW, there are many advantages to the manufacturers for touch screens - they require less physical components so are cheaper to produce (ish) and development time is reduced - quality is easier to guarantee & there are less returns and less damage to phones. From a development point of view it also makes things easier particularly when using an operating system like android due to the development process. If people didn't want touch screen phones, the phone companies wouldn't be able to sell them. The rest of the world don't accept **** they don't want the way the Irish do - and the market dictates what is available, therefore it is reasonable to suspect that many people do want touch screen smartphones.

I understand you want a very specific phone with very specific function and at a very reasonable price point - but if not many others want (and are willing to pay for) the same thing, then it becomes unviable to produce it just for you...

bet you,re sorry ya asked Trio.......

zom

shadowninty wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2056248768

No longer £99.00.
It's £123.43 now.:mad:

trio

mattjack wrote: »

bet you,re sorry ya asked Trio.......

LOL! Pretty much! Didn't realise I'd run into so much "Don't be such a QUITTER!"

Even though I've been clear about my budget. Which makes it unlikely that I could afford any "good" touchscreen anyway!

mattjack

trio wrote: »

LOL! Pretty much! Didn't realise I'd run into so much "Don't be such a QUITTER!"

Even though I've been clear about my budget. Which makes it unlikely that I could afford any "good" touchscreen anyway!

indeed..last time you will ever ask an innocent question in here...